New Mexico Asbestos Resources

Asbestos in New Mexico

New Mexico isn’t a heavily industrialized state, but it does have a number of facilities that typically have used asbestos as an integral part of the production process.  The two features that made asbestos such a widely used substance prior to the 1980s are its fire retardant property and its insulating value.  It is fibrous and flexible, and was used to coat pipes, tanks and other fittings in industrial environments where heat was in use.

 Among the most prominent jobsites that meet this description are oil refineries, paper mills, chemical companies and power plants.  The enormous works at Four Corners was built when asbestos was still a popular insulation choice.  The plants at San Juan and in Gallup all were constructed with asbestos components.  The El Paso Company’s natural gas facilities also were built with asbestos used as a fire retardant and for gasket material to seal pipe fittings.

New Mexico has seen a number of lawsuits over asbestos exposure, most of which involved power plants.  It’s a continuing issue, as mesothelioma cancer – caused by asbestos – often does not show symptoms for many years and even decades after the asbestos exposure occurred.

If you were employed at any of the jobsites listed below, discuss the issue of asbestos-related health problems with your doctor even if you aren’t showing any symptoms.  If you have been diagnosed with asbestosis or mesothelioma or some other asbestos-related health problem, speak with an experienced attorney about the compensation that may be owed to you by asbestos companies and/or a former employer.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CTR ALBUQUERQUE NM
ALBUQUERQUE AIR ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER ALBUQUERQUE NM
AMERICAN GYPSUM ALBUQUERQUE NM
EPPSCO INC ALBUQUERQUE NM
FEDERAL BUILDING ALBUQUERQUE NM
PUBLIC SERVICE POWER ALBUQUERQUE NM
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE ALBUQUERQUE NM
LOVELACE CLINIC ALBUQUERQUE NM
PERSON STATION ALBUQUERQUE NM
REEVES POWER PLANT ALBUQUERQUE NM
SANDIA AIR FORCE BASE ALBUQUERQUE NM
STURM RODGERS ALBUQUERQUE NM
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO ALBUQUERQUE NM
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO - MEDICAL CENTER ALBUQUERQUE NM
ALGADONES POWER STATION ALGODONES NM
ANAPRA POWER HOUSE - EL PASO ELECTRIC ANAPRA NM
MALCO REFINERIES, INC. ARTESIA NM
NAVAJO REFINING ARTESIA NM
EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO BLOOMFIELD NM
GIANT REFINERY BLOOMFIELD NM
PLATEAU REFINERY BLOOMFIELD NM
KERR-MCGEE POTASH PLANT CARLSBAD NM
NATIONAL POTASH COMPANY CARLSBAD NM
SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE POWER PLANT CARLSBAD NM
ATCHISON, TOPEKA & SANTA FE RAILWAY COMPANY CLOVIS NM
CHEVRON GAS PLANT EUNICE NM
NORTHERN NATURAL GAS PLANT EUNICE NM
CHACO CANYON GAS PLANT FARMINGTON NM
FARMINGTON INSULATION & METAL SUPPLY INC. FARMINGTON NM
FOUR CORNERS POWER PLANT FARMINGTON NM
SAN JUAN POWER PLANT FARMINGTON NM
FOUR CORNERS POWER PLANT FOUR CORNERS NM
ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY FRUITLAND NM
FOUR CORNERS POWER PLANT FRUITLAND NM
CINEZA POWER PLANT GALLUP NM
CITY POWER PLANT GALLUP NM
EL PASO NATURAL GAS - WINGATE PLANT GALLUP NM
GALLUP REFINERY GALLUP NM
GIANT REFINERY GALLUP NM
ANACONDA COPPER MINING COMPANY GRANTS NM
EL PASO NATURAL GAS BOOSTER STN. HOBBS NM
NEW MEXICO POWER & LIGHT HOBBS NM
WARREN PETROLEUM CO HOBBS NM
CHINO POWER PLANT HURLEY NM
KENNECOTT COPPER REFINERY HURLEY NM
EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO JAL NM
HAINES SEWING PLANT LAS CRUCES NM
NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY LAS CRUCES NM
NEW MEXICO STATE HOSPITAL LAS VEGAS NM
LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY LOS ALAMOS NM
ZIA COMPANY LOS ALAMOS NM
INTERNATIONAL MINERALS & CHEMICAL CO LOVING NM
TURBINE GENERATOR LOVINGTON NM
WARREN PETROLEUM CO LOVINGTON NM
SOUTHERN UNION GAS PLANT LYBROOK NM
FOUR CORNERS STEAM ELECTRIC NEW FRUITLAND NM
PLAINS ELECTRIC  NUEVE NM
EL PASO NATURAL GAS OIL CENTER NM
PUBLIC SERVICE POWER HOUSE ROSWELL NM
ROSWELL INDUSTRIAL AIR CENTER ROSWELL NM
WALKER AIR FORCE BASE ROSWELL NM
NEW MEXICO PENITENTARY SANTA FE NM
EL PASO ELECTRIC - RIO GRANDE POWER SUNLAND NM
MUNICIPAL POWER PLANT TUCUMCARI NM
PHELPS DODGE COPPER TYRONE NM
SAN JUAN POWER PLANT WATERFLOW  NM
WHITE SANDS MISSLE SITE WHITE SANDS NM

Deaths due to Asbestos Exposure in New Mexico

Statistics on the health problems created by asbestos exposure aren’t readily available prior to the mid 1990s due to the fact that asbestos hadn’t been declared a health hazard and asbestos products weren’t forced off the U.S. market until the 1980s.  However a survey of death certificates filed over the period between 1979 and 2000 shows that there were up to 232 deaths due to asbestosis or mesothelioma in New Mexico during that period.

In 1999 the federal government began tracking mesothelioma deaths on an annual basis across the country.  Between 1999 and the end of 2004 there were 81 deaths attributed to malignant mesothelioma in New Mexico.  This lethal disease will continue to be a problem into the foreseeable future despite the absence of new asbestos products on the market over the last fifteen to twenty years.

Cancer Care in New Mexico

Cancer Institute of New Mexico
490-A West Zia Road
Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505) 955-7900 or
(877) 587-7900

The Institute has several outreach locations:
In neighboring states:

Arizona Cancer Center
University of Arizona
1515 North Campbell Avenue
P.O. Box 245024
Tucson, Arizona 85724
Tel: (520) 626-7685
Fax: (520) 626-6898

University of Colorado Cancer Center
University of Colorado at Denver
13001 E. 17th Place
Aurora, Colorado 80045
Tel: (303) 724-3155
Fax: (303) 724-3162